Tear-open tamperproof closure seal

ABSTRACT

A bottle having a finish with a ribbed annular protrusion is provided with a molded plastic seal having internal surfaces which cooperate with the protrusion to prevent the seal from being disengaged from the bottle without being destroyed. The seal is weakened at predetermined circumferential locations, and an integral finger grip is provided for rupturing the seal at the weakened locations to separate the seal from the bottle when the finger grip is displaced circumferentially.

[451 Aug. 26, 1975 TEAR-OPEN TAMPERPROOF CLOSURE 4/1969Glensky..............................215/251 SEAL PrimaryExaminer-George T. Hall [75] Inventor: Eugene W. Menke, Montoursville,

Attorney, Agent, or Firm l-lowson and Howson The West Company,Phoenixville, Pa.

[73] Assignee:

[57] ABSTRACT A bottle having alfinish with a ribbed annular protru-[22] Filed: Oct. 15, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 406,270

sion is provided with a molded plastic seal having internal surfaceswhich cooperate with the protrusion to prevent the seal from beingdisengaged from the bottle without being destroyed. The seal is weakenedat predetermined circilinferential locations, and an integral fingergrip is provided for rupturing the seal at the weakened locations toseparate the seal from the bottle when the finger giip is displacedcircumferentially.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 12 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures2,162,752 Schaver.......................... 215/251 X PAIENTEB M18261975 SHKU 1 [IF 3 PATENTED AUBZWS 3,901,403

FIGS.

TEAR-OPEN TAMPERPROOF CLOSURE SEAL The present invention relates toseals for container closures, and more particularly, the presentinvention relates to tear-open tamperproof seals for bottles.

It is customary for beverages such as wine, champagne, and the like, tobe sold in bottles which are closed by caps or corks. A seal is normallyprovided to prevent the cap or cork from leaking and to guarantee to thepurchaser that the contents have not been pilfered, diluted, and/oradulterated. A number of different seal structures have been proposedfor this purpose.

An example of a seal which may be used satisfactorily in conjunctionwith a wine bottle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,947,432. In thispatented seal, the inner periphery of the seal has a series of spacedsurfaces which engage the underside of an annular protrusion on thefinish of the bottle. The seal is fabricated of a material which expandscircumferentially when the seal is forced downwardly over the protrusionand which elastically constricts around the finish of the bottle belowthe protrusion to prevent the seal from being disengaged from thebottle.

Although the patented seal may function satisfactorily, it possessescertain limitations. For instance, it is possible for the seal to beremoved from the bottle by turning the seal slowly and simultaneouslypulling it axially. If the seal is removed from the bottle without beingdestroyed, it should be apparent that the contens of the bottle could beadulterated and the seal replaced without the purchasers having noticeof the same.

Although the patented seal may afford some degree of resistance totampering, it is not capable of being removed readily from the bottle bythe ultimate purchaser. For instance, in order to remove the seal, aknife or other sharp instrument is required in order to rupture the sealfor removing the same. It should be apparent that a seal which iscapable of being removed from a bottle without requiring a separate toolis highly desirable.

With the foregoing in mind, it is a primary object of the presentinvention to provide a novel tamperproof sea].

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improvedtamperproof seal which is relatively easy to remove from a containerwithout requiring a tool.

As another object, the present invention provides a unique seal which isincapable of being rotated and axially-disengaged from the finish of acontainer without being ruptured.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a moldedtamperproof seal which is capable of being installed on the finish of abottle by a high-speed pressing operation.

More specifically, the present invention provides a tamperproof sealwhich is designed to be used in conjunction with a bottle having afinish with an annular protrusion carrying a series of relatively shortperipheral ribs. The seal has a circular transverse end wall whichengages the top of the bottle cap, and the seal has a depending tubularskirt which surrounds the periphery of the cap and the finish of thebottle. The skirt is divided into an upper and a lower portion by acircumferential separation, and a series of rupturable gussets extendacross the separation to connect the portions. The separation is locatedabove the bottleprotrusion and below the lower edge of the cap when theseal is installed on the bottle. A series of elongated tapered ribs arespaced apart on the inner periphery of the lower portion of the skirtand terminate in latch surfaces which engage the underside of theprotrusion. The seal is fabricated of an elastic material which permitsit to stretch when pressed downwardly over the protrusion for causingthe latch surfaces to engage the underside of the protrusion and therebyprevent removal of the sea]. A series of inwardly-extending rib surfacesare spaced apart around the inner periphery of the skirt above the latchsurfaces for engaging the ribs on the protrusion to prevent the sealfrom being rotated relative to the finish. The transverse end wall ofthe seal is provided with score lines having predeterminedconfigurations, and finger grip means integral with the upper portion ofthe skirt is provided for rupturing the score lines and the gussets whenthe finger grip is pulled circumferentially about the bottle.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention should become apparent from the following description whentaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an enlarged elevational view of a tamperproof seal embodyingthe present invention, portions of the seal being broken away to exposeribs located on the inside of the seal and the finish of a bottle toprevent rotation of the seal relative to the bottle;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the seal illustrated in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 33 of FIG. 1 with thefinish of a bottle being illustrated in broken lines;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along lines 4-4 of FIG. 1 to illustraterib means for preventing rotation of the seal relative to the finish;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of a modified embodiment of thetamperproof seal of the present invention, the modified seal beingpartially broken away to illustrate certain structural details; and

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the seal of FIG. 5.

Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated in FIG. 1 atamperproof closure seal 10 which embodies the present invention. Theillustrated seal 10 is mounted on the finish 11 of a beverage containersuch as a wine or champagne bottle which is closed by a cap 13 threadedon to the upper end of the finish 11 above a ribbed annular protrusion12. The seal 10 has a circular transverse end wall 14 which engages thetop of the cap 13, and the seal 10 has a tubular skirt 15 depending fromthe end wall 14. The skirt 15 surrounds the periphery of the cap 13 andthe finish ll of the bottle below the protrusion 12, and the skirt 15 isdivided in to an upper portion 15a and a lower portion 15b by aseparation or first weakened zone 16. The interior of the lower portion15b of the skirt 15 has a plurality of longitudinally-extending ribs18,18 (FIG. 3) which taper inwardly from locations adjacent the middlethereof and which terminate at their upper ends in latch surfaces 19,19.The seal 10 is fabricated of a plastic material which is sufficientlyelastic as to stretch circumferentially as the ribs 18,18 passdownwardly over the protrusion 12 when the seal 10 is pressed onto thefinish 11. When the latch surfaces 19,19 pass beyond the protrusion 12,the lower portion 15b of the skirt 15 elastically constricts around thefinish 11 to cause the latch surfaces 19,19 to engage the underside ofthe protrusion 12 for preventing the seal from being disengaged from thefinish ll.

As described thus far, the function of the latch surfaces is similar tothat described in the aforementioned patent, and as noted above, thereis the possibility that such a seal could be removed and the contents ofthe bottle pilfered without the seals being destroyed. For instance, ifthe seal is rotated slowly while being simultaneously pulled away fromthe bottle, the upper ends of the ribs can be cammed-radially outwardover the rounded protrusion, thereby enabling the seal to be disengagedfrom the finish. In accordance with the present invention, however, atamperproof seal is provided which is incapable of being rotated anddisengaged axially from a bottle without being destroyed.

As best seen in FIG. 1, a series of relatively short ribs 20,20 areprovided on the protrusion 12, and series of inwardly-extending ribs21,21 are provided on the innner periphery of the skirt below theseparation web 16. In the illustrated embodiment, the ribs 20,20 on theprotrusion 12 are disposed in pairs, and the pairs are arranged indiametrical arrays. The inwardly-extending ribs 21,21 on the inside ofthe skirt 15 are arranged in diametrical arrays each of which extends inan are greater than 1r/2 radians, and the spacing between adjacentskirt-ribs 21,21 is greater than the thickness of each skirt-rib. Withthis structure, angular orientation of the seal 10 relative to thefinish 1 1 is not critical because one of the ribs 21,21 on the skirtwill always be located between one pair of ribs 20,20 on the protrusion12. Preferably, the upper portions of the skirt-ribs 21,21 have inwardlytapered surfaces 22,22 which engage the upper side of the protrusion 12when the latch surfaces 19,19 engage the underside of the protrusion 12for limiting downward motion of the seal 10 when pressed onto thebottle-finish. By virtue of this construction, the seal 10 may be placedrapidly on a bottle by a high-speed pressing operation without complexorienting procedures. Moreover, once installed, the seal 10 is incapableof being rotated relative to the finish 11 and disengaged axially fromthe bottle without being destroyed. As a result, the contents of abottle having a seal of the present invention are incapable of beingpilfered, diluted and/or adulterated.

While it is desirable for the seal to be prevented from beingsurreptiously disassociated from a bottle, it is desirable for there tobe provided means to permit a purchaser to remove the seal 10 withoutrequiring any special tools. To this end, the seal 10 is provided withintegral means for separating its upper portion 15a from its lowerportion 15b. As best seen in FIG. 3, the separation 16 provides a loweror first weakened zone extending circumferentially of the seal andlocated above the protrusion 12 but below the lower edge of the cap 13.In the illustrated embodiment, the upper portion 15a of the skirt 15 hasan outside diameter which is smaller than the outside diameter of anenlargement 150 on the lower portion 15b of the skirt. A plurality ofradiallyextending gussets 26,26 connect the upper and lower portions ofthe skirt across the separation 16 to secure the portions together andto prevent their unintentional separation. It is noted, however, thatthe lowerweakened zone 16, may be provided by a thin circumferential webwhich connects the upper and lower portions rather than the gussetedstructure illustrated.

In addition to the first weakened zone provided by the separation 16, anupper or second weakened zone is provided in the end wall 14 of the seal10. As best seen in FIG. 2, the upper weakened zone is provided by ascore line 28 which extends substantially completely about the peripheryof the end wall 14 adjacent its 5 juncture with the upper portion 15a ofthe skirt 15. The

upper weakened zone includes a series of score lines 29,29 which extendradially inward from the peripheral score line 28 to intersect anelongated aperture 30 located centrally in the end wall 14.

In order to rupture the upper and lower weakened zones, finger gripmeans 31 is provided. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, thefinger grip 31 extends into the aperture 30 from the periphery of theend wall 14, and the upper weakened zone includes a score line 32extending alongside the finger grip 31 in the end wall 14 and downwardlyin the upper portion 15a of the skirt 15 transversely to the upper andlower weakened zones. The score line 32 terminates at its lower end in acurved portion 32a which assists in initiating shearing of the gussets26,26. With this structure, a person can separate the upper portion 15aof the skirt 15 from the lower portion 15b thereof by pulling the fingergrip 31 upwardly away from the end wall 14 to rupture the score line 32,with complete separation of the upper portion 15a being effected whenthe finger grip 31 is pulled downwardly and circumferentially about thefinish 11 to rupture both the upper and lower weakened zones. Access tothe cap 13 is thereby provided.

It is noted that the ribs 20,20 on the finish-protrusion l2 and the ribs21,21 on the seal 10 prevent the skirt 15 from rotating about the finish11 when the upper portion 15a of the skirt is being separated. Theinteraction of the ribs augments the frictional resistance which ispresent due to the elastic engagement of the seal 10 with the finish 11.Although the ribs 21,21 on the seal engage mating ribs 20,20 on theprotrusion 12, it should be apparent that a bottle may be provided withfinish having a series of ribs located below the protrusion 12 forinterengaging the elongated tapered ribs 18,18 to prevent the lowerportion 15b of the skirt 15, from rotating relative to the bottle.

If desired, a seal I10, somewhat similar to the seal 10, may be providedwith modified means for separating the upper portion of its skirt 115from the lower portion thereof. As best seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, the sealhas a transverse end wall 114 with an upper weakened zone 128 providedby a circular line of perforations in the end wall 114. A radiallyextending slot 129 intersects the perforated line 128 and extendsdownwardly to intersect a lower weakened zone 116 which has a structuresimilar to the structure of the web 16 in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4. Afinger grip 131 is molded integrally with the upper portion a of theskirt 115 and extends outwardly to terminate in an enlargement which iscapable of being gripped by a person's fingers for simultaneouslyrupturing the upper and lower weakened zones when finger grip 131 isdisplaced circumferentially.

In view of the foregoing, it should be apparent that there has now beenprovided a novel seal which is particularly useful in conjunction withwine and champagne bottles to prevent leakage and to warrant thegenuineness of their contents. The seal is incapable of being rotatedrelative to the bottle and disengaged axially therefrom once it isinstalled. Moreover, when utilized in conjunction with a bottle having ascrew cap, the seal of the present invention renders it impossible forthe underlying cap to be rotated with the seal to effect disengagementof both from the bottle. The seal, however, does possess a tear-openstructure which permits it to be readily separated from the bottle bythe purchaser.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been describedin detail, various modifications, alternations and changes may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention asdefined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination of a tear-open tamperproof closure seal and acontainer having a finish with an annular protrusion having lockingmeans, said seal having a body with a transverse end wall and a skirtdepending from said end wall, said depending skirt having an upperportion, a lower portion and rupturable means connecting said portions,and providing a first weakened zone, said lower skirt portion having anannular enlargement adjacent said rupturable means, inwardlyprojectinglatch surface means on the inner periphery of said skirt below saidenlargement for engaging below said protrusion to limit axialdisplacement of said seal and prevent the same from disengaging saidfinish when mounted thereon, locking means on the interior of theenlarged portion of said skirt engageable with locking means on saidannular protrusion of said finish operable to prevent rotation of saidseal relative to the finish when mounted thereon, said upper portion ofsaid skirt having a second weakened zone with a portion extendingtransversely to said first weakened zone, means providing a finger gripalongside said portion of said second weakened zone for rupturing saidconnecting means when said finger grip is displaced circumferentiallyabout said seal to disengage the upper portion of said seal from thecontainer finish, said lower skirt portion remaining seated on thecontainer with the locking portion overlying the annular protrusion onsaid finish when the upper portion is detached.

2. A. closure seal according to claim 1 wherein said second weakenedzone has a portion extending circumferentially around said seal adjacentthe juncture of said end wall and the upper portion of said skirt, saidfirst and second weakened zones cooperating to cause the seal to tear attwo spaced locations when the finger grip is displaced circumferentiallyto separate the seal from the container.

3. A closure seal according to claim 2 wherein said upper and lowerportions are separate and said connecting means includes a plurality ofcircumferentiallyspaced gussets extending across said first weakenedzone for securely connecting said upper and lower portions of said skirtwhile affording ready separability.

4. A closure seal according to claim 3 wherein said end wall has acentral aperture and said finger grip extends into said aperture, saidsecond weakened zone including a score line extending along one side ofsaid finger grip in said end wall and continuing into said upper portionof said depending skirt.

5. A closure seal according to claim 4 wherein said second weakened zonein said end wall includes a circumferential score line and a pluralityof radiallyextending score lines intersecting said aperture and saidcircumferential score line to facilitate separation of the upper portionof said skirt from the lower portion thereof.

rotation preventing means includes a series of outwardly extending ribson said protrusion and a plurality of complementary ribs extendinginwardly around the periphery of the lower portion of said skirt forengaging selected ones of said series of protrusion-ribs when said sealis installed on said finish.

8. A closure seal according to claim 7 wherein said ribs on said skirthave surfaces tapering inwardly toward said end wall and spaced fromsaid latch surface means to engage 'an upper side of said protrusionwhen said seal is installed on said finish with said latch surface meansengaging a lower side of the protrusion.

9. A tear-open tamperproof closure seal for use in conjunction with acontainer having a finish with an annular protrusion, said seal having abody with a transverse end wall and a skirt depending from said wall,inwardly-extending latch surface means on the inner periphery of saidskirt for engaging below said protrusion to prevent said seal fromdisengaging said finish when mounted thereon, means on the interior ofsaid seal for engaging said finish to prevent said seal from rotatingrelative to the finish when mounted thereon, said depending skirt havingan upper portion and a lower portion, rupturable means connecting saidportions and providing a first weakened zone, means defining a centralaperture in said end wall, said finger grip extending into saidaperture, said second weakened zone including a score line extendingalong one side of said finger grip and continuing into said upper skirtportion and terminating adjacent said first weakened zone, acircumferential score line and a plurality of radial score linesextending from said aperture to said circumferential score line tofacilitate separation of the upper skirt portion from said lower skirtportion.

10. For use in combination with a container having a finish with anannular protrusion and rib means including a plurality of pairs of ribsspaced apart on the periphery of said'protrusion and disposedtransversely thereof, a seal adapted to mount onto said finish, saidseal having a transverse end wall and a depending tubular skirt, surfacemeans on the interior of said skirt to prevent rotation of said sealrelative to said finish and for engaging an underside of said protrusionto prevent displacement of said seal transversely to said protrusionwithout rupturing the seal, said surface means includingdiametrically-opposed arrays of rib surfaces extending on the innerperiphery on said skirt a distance greater than the correspondingperipheral spacing between adjacent pairs of ribs on said protrusion.

11. The combination according to claim 10 wherein said skirt has upperand lower portions with said surface means being located on said lowerportion, a rupturable circumferential web connecting said portions, andfinger grip means integral with said skirt for rupturing said web toeffect separation of said upper portion from said lower portion.

12. A closure seal as claimed in claim 12 in combination with acontainer wherein the finish includes threads and a closure cap havingcomplementary threads to facilitate application and removal from thecontainer.

1. The combination of a tear-open tamperproof closure seal and acontainer having a finish with an annular protrusion having lockingmeans, said seal having a body with a transverse end wall and a skirtdepending from said end wall, said depending skirt having an upperportion, a lower portion and rupturable means connecting said portions,and providing a first weakened zone, said lower skirT portion having anannular enlargement adjacent said rupturable means, inwardly-projectinglatch surface means on the inner periphery of said skirt below saidenlargement for engaging below said protrusion to limit axialdisplacement of said seal and prevent the same from disengaging saidfinish when mounted thereon, locking means on the interior of theenlarged portion of said skirt engageable with locking means on saidannular protrusion of said finish operable to prevent rotation of saidseal relative to the finish when mounted thereon, said upper portion ofsaid skirt having a second weakened zone with a portion extendingtransversely to said first weakened zone, means providing a finger gripalongside said portion of said second weakened zone for rupturing saidconnecting means when said finger grip is displaced circumferentiallyabout said seal to disengage the upper portion of said seal from thecontainer finish, said lower skirt portion remaining seated on thecontainer with the locking portion overlying the annular protrusion onsaid finish when the upper portion is detached.
 2. A. closure sealaccording to claim 1 wherein said second weakened zone has a portionextending circumferentially around said seal adjacent the juncture ofsaid end wall and the upper portion of said skirt, said first and secondweakened zones cooperating to cause the seal to tear at two spacedlocations when the finger grip is displaced circumferentially toseparate the seal from the container.
 3. A closure seal according toclaim 2 wherein said upper and lower portions are separate and saidconnecting means includes a plurality of circumferentially-spacedgussets extending across said first weakened zone for securelyconnecting said upper and lower portions of said skirt while affordingready separability.
 4. A closure seal according to claim 3 wherein saidend wall has a central aperture and said finger grip extends into saidaperture, said second weakened zone including a score line extendingalong one side of said finger grip in said end wall and continuing intosaid upper portion of said depending skirt.
 5. A closure seal accordingto claim 4 wherein said second weakened zone in said end wall includes acircumferential score line and a plurality of radially-extending scorelines intersecting said aperture and said circumferential score line tofacilitate separation of the upper portion of said skirt from the lowerportion thereof.
 6. A closure seal according to claim 2 wherein saidfinger grip extends radially outward from the upper portion of saidskirt and between said end wall and said rupturable connecting means. 7.A closure seal according to claim 2 wherein said rotation preventingmeans includes a series of outwardly extending ribs on said protrusionand a plurality of complementary ribs extending inwardly around theperiphery of the lower portion of said skirt for engaging selected onesof said series of protrusion-ribs when said seal is installed on saidfinish.
 8. A closure seal according to claim 7 wherein said ribs on saidskirt have surfaces tapering inwardly toward said end wall and spacedfrom said latch surface means to engage an upper side of said protrusionwhen said seal is installed on said finish with said latch surface meansengaging a lower side of the protrusion.
 9. A tear-open tamperproofclosure seal for use in conjunction with a container having a finishwith an annular protrusion, said seal having a body with a transverseend wall and a skirt depending from said wall, inwardly-extending latchsurface means on the inner periphery of said skirt for engaging belowsaid protrusion to prevent said seal from disengaging said finish whenmounted thereon, means on the interior of said seal for engaging saidfinish to prevent said seal from rotating relative to the finish whenmounted thereon, said depending skirt having an upper portion and alower portion, rupturable means connecting said portions and providing afirst weakened zone, means defining a central aperture in said end wall,said finger grip extending into said aperture, said second weakened zoneincluding a score line extending along one side of said finger grip andcontinuing into said upper skirt portion and terminating adjacent saidfirst weakened zone, a circumferential score line and a plurality ofradial score lines extending from said aperture to said circumferentialscore line to facilitate separation of the upper skirt portion from saidlower skirt portion.
 10. For use in combination with a container havinga finish with an annular protrusion and rib means including a pluralityof pairs of ribs spaced apart on the periphery of said protrusion anddisposed transversely thereof, a seal adapted to mount onto said finish,said seal having a transverse end wall and a depending tubular skirt,surface means on the interior of said skirt to prevent rotation of saidseal relative to said finish and for engaging an underside of saidprotrusion to prevent displacement of said seal transversely to saidprotrusion without rupturing the seal, said surface means includingdiametrically-opposed arrays of rib surfaces extending on the innerperiphery on said skirt a distance greater than the correspondingperipheral spacing between adjacent pairs of ribs on said protrusion.11. The combination according to claim 10 wherein said skirt has upperand lower portions with said surface means being located on said lowerportion, a rupturable circumferential web connecting said portions, andfinger grip means integral with said skirt for rupturing said web toeffect separation of said upper portion from said lower portion.
 12. Aclosure seal as claimed in claim 12 in combination with a containerwherein the finish includes threads and a closure cap havingcomplementary threads to facilitate application and removal from thecontainer.